Consistant work makes for a consistant horse

Lola is getting better and better each day. We had our lesson tonight, and of course I briefed my trainer on how the show went. I told her all the good stuff first... then the stuff that I should probably be working on.

So we started with this exercise. Of course she prefaced it with the comment that she starts all her horses with this as soon as they are steering and stopping under saddle. (Which means I'm about 3 months late starting it!) You start a small 10m circle at the walk really asking them to bend around your leg, and as soon as they start to take some steady contact on the outside rein you give a little to encourage them to lower their head while still maintaining the contact. If they keep the steady contact then you start making your circle bigger or change direction, if you loose it you go right back to the circle.

I've used small circles through my whole riding career, in different ways for different reasons, but somehow I've either forgotten this exercise or never quite understood it. Its awesome! She really got it and it really helped her to understand stretching down at the free walk. Now our task for the next week, every walk break that she takes in between working is still a time to be working on the free walk.

Then we started trotting, and boy oh, boy, did I get a lesson! Last week we worked on my right shoulder and right leg, basically I need to turn my shoulder to the inside of my turn more when we are doing circles to the right, and bring my right leg back. I was struggling because when I got into the position that was correct, I felt funky, even though it was the position that helped Lola to turn and use her shoulders correctly. Then, even though Lola did great at the show, my picture tattle on my right side not riding it right.

Tonight we broke it down further, and really its my right hip being too far back that isn't allowing me to get my leg back. So hip forward, shoulder back, leg back, it felt AWFUL! But it was correct. This means I ride crooked... and Lola's right hind is not naturally as strong as her left so she's showing off my problem, and I'm showing off hers! Going to the right I felt like I was fighting my right side to turn correctly. So going to the left I expected to have to do the same to the left... no... still the right side causing problems!

So the moral of the story is, sometimes your horse feels different on one side from the other because they are naturally stronger or more flexible on one side or the other. Sometimes they feel different because YOU are naturally stronger or more flexible on one side or the other, and YOU are causing them to move that way!

She is very steady on the bit lately. We worked on extending just a little then collecting without shortening her next. We'll be practicing that for the next week too. Extend out and let her start stretching her next out and down, then collect back using just my seat and body and encourage her to keep her head and neck stretched and relaxed on the contact.

We also worked on spiraling in and out on the circle as another way to encourage her to bend and step under herself. But then we got distracted by my hip, so we sort of got off track.

Great ride over all. Lots of good stuff to think about and work on. Again, my trainer just raved about what a fantastic girl she is! She's so sad that none of her students are looking for a horse right now, because she'd love to have Lola in training.